Gynaikeion: or, Nine bookes of various history. Concerninge women inscribed by ye names of ye nine Muses. Written by Thom: Heywoode.

The Goddesses of the Hills, Woods, Groues, and Trees.

* 1.1IT is commemorated by Plato, in certaine of his verses, that the Hydriades and Hamadriades much delighted in the musick of Pan, who was the god of sheapheards, and that they vsed to daunce about him; the first beginning of the harmony which came from the pipe being inuented by him and made from his loue the nymph Syrinx, by Ladon changed into a reed, the manner was thus as Ouid manifests:* 1.2

Syrinx one of Diana's traine, * 1.3Chacing with her ore the plaine: Arm'd alike with shafe and bowe, Each from other would you know? Which is which cannot be told, Saue ones was horne the t'other gold. Pan he sees, himselfe makes fine: In his cap he prickes a pine, Now growes carelesse of his heard, Sits by brookes to pr••••e his beard, Meetes her and hath mind to w••••,

Much be speakes, but more would doo. Still his profers, she denies, He pursues, and Syrinx flies. Past her kness her coat vp flew, Pan would faine see something newe, By the legge and knee he guest ('t seemes) the beautie of the rest: Wings it adds vnto his pace, Now the goale he hath in chase. She addes further to his speed, Now it is no more than neede, Almost caught, Alas (she cries) Some chast god my shape disguise. * 1.4 Ladon heares, and girtes her round, Spies a reede to make sweete sound, Such is Syrinx: wondering Pan Puts it to his pipe anon: Syrinx thou art mine he sayd, So of her his first pipe made.

Isaciu•• saith that the nymph Eccho was beloued of him, and that by her hee had a daughter called Iringes, she that to Medea brought the loue potion which she presented to Iason: but of Pan and Syrinx Ouid thus speakes,

Panaquae cam preusam sibi iam Syringa put••ret Corpore pro nymphae calamos tennisse palustres. Pan (flying Syrinx) when he thought To haue catcht about the wast, Steed of the nymphes faire bodie, he The fennie reeds imbrac't.

Which reedes being shaken by the winde, making a kinde of melodie, of these he made his first pipe, which he called after her name. Of the Satyres, Silaeni, Fauni, and Siluani, memorable things haue beene recorded, but all be∣ing masculine, they belong not to this historie in hand: therefore I purposely omit them and and proceed to our Terrene goddesses, and of them briefely.

OREADES.

THese because they were bread vpon the Hills and Mountaines were sayd to haue a dominion and diuine gouernement ouer them. Strabo calls them the daughters of Phoroneus and Hecataea, but Horace in his Iliades, will haue them the issue of Iupiter and Oristrade: some hold them to be but fiue in number, but Virgill numbers them to bee many, and companions with Diana in her hunting.

—Quam mille secutae Hinc at{que} hinc glomerantur Oreades.

Viz. Such as attend Diana ouer the banks of Eurora, and ouer the mountains of Cinthus, a thousand of the Oreades in her companie heare and there shining: M••asaea Patarentis hath bequeathed to memorie, that these were the first that obserued

absteined from eating flesh, contenting themselues with Chesnuttes and Akornes and the fruits of trees. One of them, called Melissa, first found and tasted honie in Pelloponesus, with whose tast the Greekes were so pleased that they call all Bees Melissae, after her name: From hence it came that in the sacreds of Ceres and in all nations the Priests deriued their names from her. These nymphes were supposed to haue the charge of hills and mountaines, and sometimes of such wild beasts as they pursued in the companie of Diana: but the protection of priuate heards or domesticke flockes was not conferd vp∣on them; so religious were the people of old, that neither publicke place, nor priuate, was destitute of some peculiar and diuine power: so likewise euery e∣lement, hearbe, roote, and tree, or whatsoeuer symple was vsefull and medici∣nable, or obnoxious and hurtfull to the life of man. Those of the mountaines were Oreades or Orestiades.

The Driades and Hamadriades.

THe Dryades had predominance ouer the woods and groaues, as Pomona ouer the orchards and gardens. The Hamadriades were the genij of eue∣rie particular tree; and as Calimachus in a Hymne to Delos witnesseth of them, they begin with their first plantation, grow with them, and consume and perish as they rot and wither: their number is not agreed vpon. Pausoni∣as in Phocicis calls one of them Tythorera; in Arcadicis, a second, Erato; and a third, Phigalia. Claudianus in la••dibus Stiliconis, reckons them seauen. Charon Lampsacenus produceth one Rhaecus, who in the countrey of Assyria hauing a goodlie faire oake, whose earth shrinking form the roote, and being ready to fall; as he was propping and supporting the tree, and supplieng the decayed mould about it, the nymph or genius of that tree, which was to perish with it, appeared to him, and after thankes for so great a courtesie, bid him demand of her whatsoeuer, and it should be graunted, since by the repayring of that plant she was still to liue: He taken with her beautie, demanded libertie free∣lie to imbrace hir to his owne fill and appetite, to which she instantlie yeelded. Appollonius in his Argonaut. tells of the father of one Paraebius, who going to cut downe an antient faire oake that had stood many yeares, a nymph in like man∣ner appeared to him, humblie petitioning, that he would spare the tree for her sake, since the age of it, and her, and the liues of both, were limited alike: which he refusing, so enraged the other of her fellowes, that many afflicti∣ons befell both himselfe and his posteritie. Mnesimachus saith that they are cal∣led Dryades, because in the oakes their liues are included; and Hamadriades, because they are borne with them; and Isacius the interpreter of Appollo, be∣cause they perish with them. I will conclude these with one tale recited by Charon Lampsacenus: Archus (saith he) the sonne of Iupiter and Calisto, being cha∣cing in the forrests, incountred one of the Hamadriades, who told him how neere she was to ruine, in regard that the riuer running by had eaten away the earth from the root of such a goodly oake (to which she pointed) and that by sauing that, he should preserue her: at her intreatie, he turned the streame a∣nother way, and supplyed the roote with earth; for which this nymph, whose name was Prospetia, granted him her free imbraces: of whom he begot Phila∣tus and Aphidantes. Whether these relations were true or false, is not much to bee disputed on; if false, they were for no other causes deuised, but

by the superstition of the people of antient daies, who left nothing vnmedi∣tated that might stirre vp men to the adoration of the diuine powers, since in euerie thing they demonstrated a deitie. If they were spoken as truths, I ra∣ther beleeue them to bee the meere illusions of diuells and spirits themselues, than the genij of plants and trees, that made such apparitions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hydriades, Nimphs be∣longing to the riuers and wells.
• * 1.2

  Lib. 1. Metam.
• * 1.3

  The tale of Pan and Syrinx
• * 1.4

  A Riuer of Arcadia com∣passing in the Fenne where the reeds first grew.